Where the World Is Losing Tree Cover Fastest

North America is close on the heels of Latin America when it comes to tree cover loss, according to data published by the World Resources Institute. Where Latin America lost a total of 127 million hectares of trees between 2001 and 2024, North America lost 112 million hectares. It was followed by Asia with 107 million hectares.

However, the drivers of such tree cover loss vary greatly depending on the region of the world. For example, in Latin America and Southeast Asia, 73 percent and 66 percent, respectively, of tree cover loss is estimated to have been driven by permanent agriculture. In Africa, the two main competing drivers are shifting cultivation (49 percent) and permanent agriculture (43 percent). Meanwhile, wildfires and logging are the main drivers in North America (50 percent wildfires, 45 percent logging), Asia (63 percent wildfires, 29 percent logging) and Oceania (57 percent wildfires, 27 percent logging). Europe stands out for being the only region where logging is by far the major driver of tree cover loss, accounting for 91 percent.

The forest monitoring platform says that not all types of tree cover loss are deforestation and groups tree cover loss under two categories: permanent and temporary. Permanent loss is caused by permanent agriculture, settlements and infrastructure and hard commodities. Temporary tree cover loss includes logging, wildfire, shifting cultivation and other natural disturbances.